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If you're looking for offbeat fiction, fantasy, scifi, essay, or even rare bits of poetry, you've come to the right place. Enjoy!

Shadow and Shade

"I stayed up all night finishing Shadow and Shade, a fascinating fantasy world of magic, family, and what happens when the two collide. A tough and enchanting tale that will have you listening to the forest and talking to the wolves. I can't wait to see what Gerrard writes next!" Rebecca Cantrell, New York Times bestselling author of The World Beneath

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God’s Remote Control

“Peace. That’s what it’s all about. As long as I watch the world go by, I can step in and help.” Mr. Finch sat in an easy chair surrounded by what looked like a thousand two-dimensional TV screens. He was watching the world. Billy gaped at it all. Mr. Finch ate some popcorn. Before Billy’s eyes, the bowl refilled. Mr. Finch clicked a remote control. The images spun, and one of them became bigger. It filled the space in front of them.

Billy saw his grandmother trying to coax her cat to come down out of a tree. Finch adjusted his remote control until he was face to face with her image. “All right, Mrs… Torrance.”

“That’s my grandma.”

“That’s a funny coincidence.” From his tone, Billy knew it wasn’t a coincidence.

Mr. Finch leaned toward the screen and blew on it. The wind picked up. The branch that the cat sat on shook. He dug in his pockets, drew out a pen, and started tapping at the edge of the screen. The branch shook harder. “Come on, kitty. You don’t want to be up there anyway,” Mr. Finch said.

The cat lost its grip. It bounced lightly on a few branches, then landed on its feet. It straightened up and walked properly towards Billy’s grandma.

“’I meant to do that.’ Cats always act like that. I love cats,” Mr. Finch said. He looked at Billy. “So, what can I do for you, young man?”

“Wait a second. Why help my grandma with Tigger?”

“She was thinking of calling the fire department. Right now, they’re not busy. In fifteen minutes there’s going to be a car accident.”

Billy gulped. “You mean… Tigger almost got someone killed?”

Mr. Finch smiled warmly. He offered Billy some popcorn. Billy took it. “Not at all, kiddo. Tigger had a lucky fall that saved someone’s life.” Billy’s head swam. Mr. Finch asked, “So what can I do for you, young man?”

“My mother is sick. She needs help.”

“Is something broken?”

“No. It’s pneumonia.”

“And the doctors can’t find her house?”

“No, they’ve been there twice.”

Finch frowned. All the power in the universe, and he couldn’t understand the problems of a little boy. “You just want me to make her better?”

Billy smiled a mile wide. He jumped up and down when he said, “Yes!”

Finch felt truly sorry when he said, “I can’t do that.” He waved at the screens. “I can make things move. I can make sure the right people meet each other at the right time. But I can’t change the nature of something. Your mother is sick. She was meant to be sick.” He closed his eyes in thought. All the images on the TV screens paused. When he opened his eyes, they started moving again. “The day that it happened, she walked into the virus’s path because someone else was going to. They would have died. She had to save them.”

“But… is she going to get better?”

Finch shrugged. “I think so. I hope so. I’ve watched a lot of sick people over the years, and most of the ones as sick as your mom get better.” Billy didn’t look like he was buying it. “I’m not God. I just use His remote control.”